Events

A federal judge handed Oregon LNG a significant setback today. Oregon LNG proposes building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the East Skipanon Peninsula near Warrenton, Oregon, to export North American natural gas overseas. According to today’s ruling, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a valid legal right to use this property to deposit dredge spoils at the proposed terminal site. Unless the Army Corps is willing to forfeit the easement, Oregon LNG cannot build the proposed terminal.

Federal dam operators are breaking the law by allowing the Columbia River to reach lethally hot temperatures for salmon. Scientists report that 400,000 sockeye, 80 percent of the run, are dead or dying. Fishermen and conservation groups are calling on the Obama Administration to take action to stop the extreme river heat.

Catastrophic. Devastating. These are just some of the words scientists are using to describe the crisis unfolding on the Columbia. Dams are the main culprit causing the salmon crisis. Salmon need cool water to survive. Dams heat up the river by decreasing river flow and creating huge, stagnant reservoirs that soak up the sun. Compounding the dam problem, this year’s low snowpack coupled with hot water temperatures are straining already imperiled salmon runs. News reports from across the region paint a sobering picture: salmon runs struggle to cope with the harsh realities of dams, poor water management, and climate change.